Easy Cover
by localsportsteam
Summary: Kristanna modern college AU. Anna had to admit that, sure, she was already bad with personal boundaries and yeah she's made out with Kristoff at a lot of parties and SURE it was nice but he's never SAID anything so they're friends, right? He hasn't asked her out so yeah - friends! Unless...?


Anna was the only reason Kristoff went to parties, and she only partially knew why. He was implicitly invited to pretty much all of them; being a first-string linebacker his buddies were pretty much throwing all of the parties. And they all liked Kristoff - he was quiet, sure, but he had a good nature and there was no real reason to dislike him. Kristoff didn't have much of a disposition for parties - he didn't like the noise, or the sloppiness, and wasn't interested in pursuing women in the same way so many of his friends were.

He didn't even go to a single party his first semester. Which he was fine with. He went to class, went to practice, hung out more casually with friends intermittently. Talked with his roommate, Olaf, who was a weird dude but overall a good roommate. It wasn't until spring semester, about March, where he got a text from a girl he had his biology gen ed with, Anna;

_**Hey! Are you going to the TKE party tonight? **_

It was sort of strange to get a text from her. He sat next to her on the first day, and the seating chart got passed, so he was stuck. They had exchanged numbers when she was going to be gone for a week, so she could get the homework and notes. He hadn't really minded sitting by her, or sending her his notes, because she was pretty cute and a good person to sit next to. She had sparkly gel pens like it was 2002, but didn't get why it was funny. When she got back from her trip she brought him a muffin to thank him for the notes.

He responded, intentionally vague;

_**Not sure yet. Why?**_

_**Aren't you a TKE?**_

That wasn't answering his question! And why did it matter?

_**No, I'm not in any frat. But a lot of my friends are. **_

_**Oh, that must be why I thought.**_

_**Yeah. But why do you ask?**_

_**I wanted to go to the party, but my friends bailed on me :( I don't really want to go if I don't know anyone. Like I'll make friends there but walking in alone is awkward, you know?**_

Kristoff looked at the message for five minutes before opening it. Was this a date? What counted as a date these days, anyway? It seemed like she was only asking him because he was the only person she knew of who might be going, but they weren't _friends_ friends, more acquaintances. Was she trying to change that? Why did the idea seem exciting to him?

_**Well, let's go then. **_

_**:)! I'll meet at your room !**_

_**Cool. South Building 346**_

She knocked on his door six times, which he found funny. It was a one-room dorm, how could he possibly not hear? He opened the door and she was dressed very differently than she usually did for class; her dress fit her body tightly. She had hips. She had boobs. What? What a stupid obsevation. He was staring at her for too long. He shook his head quickly and stepped back.

"Uh, come in."

"You don't want to just head out?" she asked, looking a bit confused.

"Uh, that too. Yeah. Hold on." _Idiot_.

Kristoff pulled on his shoes and they walked out. He felt almost strange walking into that party with Anna - like he wanted people to notice that he was there with her. He felt protective of her too, scanning the room for people and watching how others watched her. He noticed certain boys stare directly at her chest. He took a protective step behind her, placing a hand on the niche of her waist and walking with her over to the makeshift bar.

"So, Anna, what's cracking?" he said. Oh, God. He'd never said that phrase in his life. What's wrong with him? He needed alcohol. Lots, lots more alcohol, until he remembered how to talk to beautiful women.

Anna giggled a little and took a sip of her drink. "Just chillin' at this party. Oh!" she waved her drink to the side. "Can you believe Professor Barnes gave us fifty pages to read for tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah, that sucked." Kristoff nodded.

"I didn't even do it." Anna admitted, shrugging a little. "I don't need to know biology anyway."

Kristoff laughed. "Then how will you master bug migration patterns?"

"What? Did we learn that?"

"Uh, no. Isn't that biology though?"

"I mean, bugs are part of earth. Maybe?"

It was in that moment Kristoff realized that no amount of alcohol would remind him how to talk to beautiful women, because he just didn't know how.

"Oh!" Anna exclaimed, shaking him out of his bout of self-pity. "Let's play beer pong!" She said excitedly, grabbing his hand and tugging him over to a table.

"He-e-ey Anna!" A girl said, bouncing a ping pong ball into a cup. "Wanna play?"

"Hey Giselle! Yeah!" Anna said, finishing her drink and putting the cup down. "Let's do half-cups. Me and Kristoff are a team."

"Okay!" Giselle turned and looked over her shoulder. "Meg! We're playing."

"How is that fair, you're a lightweight." Meg nudged Giselle with her hip. "I'm going to have to do all the heavy lifting here."

"That's not true!" Giselle insisted. "But even if it was - Anna is too."

"So you're my competition?" Meg said, bouncing a ball. It missed. "Think it'll be a fair match?"

"Well," Kristoff shrugged. "I think I weight, like, twice of what you do."

"Well, then let's hope your girlfriend is a two drink drunk."

"Anna's not-"

"Got it!" Anna had bounced a ball into one of the cups.

Giselle picked it up and drank. "Pacing is on my side." she joked.

The game moved speedily - no one of the team was particularly good, but they were good enough to get each other drunk. The night slipped away the more Kristoff drank; hours went in minutes. Anna laughed, throwing her arms around his waist. He picked her up to let her try a trick shot, which she also missed.

People began filtering out of the party, but none of the four noticed as they went for their third, fourth, fifth game. No amount of pacing or under-pouring the drinks could save them at this point. Pours were getting sloppier and they were all too drunk to realize how much they were really drinking. Giselle laughed as she stumbled to pick up ping pong balls, Meg pulled her back up by latching an arm around her waist.

"We've gotta go!" Meg insisted, her words slurring a little.

"Do you live far?" Kristoff asked.

"Five minute walk." Meg insisted, nodding and taking Giselle's hand.

Kristoff remembered them leaving, doesn't recall what, if anything he said to Anna, and doesn't remember if he did anything else. Because suddenly, without effort or transition, Anna's hands were on him, running up his shirt and pulling his face down to meet hers and he went so willingly, gripping her waist and kissing her hard. It was messy and drunken and his blood ran hot, wondering if she'd had this in mind from the beginning. And, if so, why she hadn't just _said_ \- it's not like he would've said no.

"_Christopher-_" she moaned as he bit her lip, and he pulls away.

"It's Kristoff." he says, but leans down to keep kissing her.

"Okay." she nods, and he realizes he's okay with her calling him whatever she wants.

And then everything cuts to black, and he wakes up the next day, alone, in his own bed, with a pounding headache.

He waits a few hours, willing the rest of the evening to come back to him, but it doesn't. Eventually he texts Anna.

_**Hey, had fun last night. Hell of a headache though.**_

_**UgggGGhhHH don't even tell me about headaches. I even passed it to Elsa. **_

_**Oh?**_

_**Yeah apparently you brought me back at like two a.m. Work her up :I **_

_**Oh, sorry about that. **_

_**Don't worry! My fault for being loud. **_

Two weeks from then she tells him she's planning to go out on a bar crawl organized by KA. Anna asks him if he's going. He is now. They made it to three bars before Anna was overwhelmed by the handed off drinks and free shots bought by friends. She kept half-drinking them and then saying "too much, too much" and handing them to Kristoff to finish. He chuckles a little because as soon as a drink is half-finished another one makes its way into her hand.

She grabs his hand as they make their way through large crowds. He doesn't really care for crowds, so he focuses on her holding his hand. Anna talks to people, almost constantly, but she continues to hold onto him and include him and introduces him as 'her friend, Kristoff'.

Neither of them brought up the fact that they made out a couple weeks ago, and Kristoff starts to wonder if she even remembers. Would it even be wise to bring it up, then? Clearly there wasn't a problem, or else she wouldn't have invited him out again, but maybe her manner would change if she learned there was that pit of desire in his stomach, watching her move and hoping she'd be seized by the same impulses she had in that basement.

He contemplated making a move but was staved off by the same doubts. He wondered if she'd thought about him in that way at all, and what she would do if he tugged her into the little hallway between the bar and the restrooms to press her against the wall.

They stayed out past one until Anna felt herself fading and asked if Kristoff would mind turning in. He laughed when he said it was fine, but Anna didn't get the joke. Anna called a Lyft and they got into the back. We he pulled the door shut, she leaned over and pulled him towards her.

His heart jumped up into his throat at the suddenness of it and he used what was left of his sense to throw himself into this moment entirely. He kissed her messily, wantingly, sliding in tongue in her mouth and tugging her closer to him. She moaned and climbed on top of him. He felt his heart racing and wondered if hers was too.

He tried to keep his wits about himself, but he'd left them behind at the bar. As soon as she grabbed at his waistband he couldn't think of anything beyond how badly he wanted her to keep going. He felt his heartbeat below his waist in equal pressure and he grabbed Anna's hips to grind her into him, which made the need better and worse at the same time.

Anna kissed her way up his jawline to his ear, biting his earlobe. The shock went straight to his brain and he gasped. Anna leaned back and smiled at him. It was unbearable to even have her a little farther from him. He gripped her thighs and drove her hips into him again, pulling her close and sucking on her neck. Anna gasped softly, rolling her head to the side and balling up his shirt in her hands.

Their poor Lyft driver. Not that either of them were particularly concerned.

They got back to the campus and she climbed off him, staggering a little bit as she stepped outside. But she righted herself and tugged him out. He was dazed and his lips were swollen and his whole body felt like it had been filled up with helium. He stooped a little, without thinking that they were in public, and she kissed him again, enthusiastically jumping up to meet him.

He walked her back to her dorm room and she looked him up and down, squeezed his hand, and held a finger to her lips, going _shhhh_. "My sister's home." she shrugged, and ducked inside.

Kristoff stood in the hallway for five minutes, waiting for the world to make sense again.

So, she was the reason he went because she invited him. But, more importantly, he went on the hopes that she'd kiss him again. Once was an accident, two was close enough to a pattern for him.

Over time, she became much more comfortable in his space, sitting on his bed and stealing some of his food. They still go out together for most parties, but they hang out normally too. When they have the same classes they study together, sometimes at the library, sometimes at his house. They once spent two straight days at Kristoff's apartment, watching all the Star Wars movies. But tonight, they were just going to go out.

Anna comes over when she's ready to go, knocks on his door a thousand times and when he opens it, she hugs him or loops an arm around his waist or something else that's so casual to her and so electrifying to him.

Kristoff thinks about how she touches him when he puts himself through workouts and practices. He wants her to be impressed with what she feels when she touches him. He wants her to run her hand up his chest or his stomach and realize that he's strong and he's strong for _her_. He doesn't care about showing off, he doesn't even really care if it makes him better at sports. At best it's a side effect. He wants her to _want_ to touch him.

Lord knows he wants to touch her, but it's more than that. They've fallen into a pattern of talking more - over text, in class, before they go out to parties. When one of his friends texted him about a keg party, he even added 'you can bring Anna'. People saw them together. It wasn't just a dream.

Before he even realized it, he was a goner. Three years had passed, and he knew he was reaching the now or never point. They'd graduate in a few months, and she'd go off and they'd promise to stay in touch but they wouldn't. She'd marry someone else and have the family she was always talking about and he just...wouldn't be a part of that. Why should he expect her to feel anything for him? She's had whatever she wants of him for three years now, and she's never taken it beyond drunken groping. They were like a friends-with-benefits, with very contingent benefits.

So, he decided to do something he knew was stupid. He decided to tell Olaf.

"Do not make me regret telling you this." He said firmly, sitting next to Olaf on the couch.

The two men were strange but good friends. After being roommates for the first year, they eventually got an apartment near campus. Kristoff adopted a dog, named Sven. Olaf understood more about Kristoff than Kristoff was willing to admit to himself, and Kristoff knew when to stop Olaf, before his mouth got the better of him.

"Oh, you won't! Maybe you will. Tell me!" Olaf leaned over.

"Nevermind, I already regret it."

"No! Kristoff, come back here."

"I'm still sitting."

"I mean _mentally_. Come back to me."

"Oh, my god."

"This is obviously eating you up, whatever it is. Just tell me."

"I'm in love with Anna."

Olaf sat there, hands folded. A few minutes passed.

"Aren't you...going to say anything?" Kristoff prodded.

"I was waiting for you to go on."

"That...that is the issue." Kristoff nodded.

"Kristoff I already knew that. Everyone does?"

_Anna knows?_ Kristoff's heart dropped. "Everyone? How do you know?"

"Well, obviously not Anna. She's as dense as you are. But me. All your other friends. The whole football team. Everyone who's been at a party you guys are at. Sven. The professors, probably. Maybe the mayor."

"Olaf."

"You know what I mean!"

"It doesn't matter. She doesn't feel that way about me." Kristoff folded his arms.

"Yes, so just get on with dying alone, then."

Kristoff glared at Olaf.

"That's how you sound!" Olaf insisted. "She has no idea you feel this way - she's probably as confused as you are!"

"I don't know…"

"Well, you guys are still going to that party tonight, right?" Olaf pressed.

"Yeah, I think so. I was intending to."

"Then tell her there! You don't have to start off with 'I love you'. In fact, don't. Knowing you, you probably will. Just tell her that she's pretty and you care about her and whatever else feels right."

"I could...do that." Kristoff conceded.

"Good! Go! It'll be worth it, I promise!"

…

Kristoff felt uncharacteristically nervous with Anna stopped by his apartment. She flung her arms around him and he fought back the urge to kiss her then and there. But they had never done that before - not more than a peck on the cheek, anyway - that he had to hold himself back.

"Let's go!" Anna said excitedly, with no idea what he was holding inside himself for her.

There was a different sort of melancholy that hung over both of them, and most of their friends, now. Graduation was nearing and despite promises to the contrary, everyone knew in their hearts that they'd spread out and move on with their lives, not talking much after they walked across that stage.

Due to this, and generally giving up on academics, most everyone was going out more, though parties were less intense now, and more about hanging out with beloved friends.

Kristoff didn't drink much the whole night - there were perhaps fifteen people at the height of the party. Anna drank steadily, never getting messy, but not standing up much either. She was tucked into his side, his arm on the back of the couch behind her, as she laughed and talked with people, nursing half a dozen bottles of cider. People began to get up and leave as the party ticked past midnight, and Kristoff felt the dreadful excitement at knowing that it was now or never - perhaps literally.

He leaned down, whispering in her ear. "Hey, can we talk real quick?"

Anna looked up at him, her face not even half an inch from his own. If it wouldn't have bungled everything, he would've kissed her right then.

"Of course." she said, nodding a little.

When they stood, she took his hand unprompted. They walked upstairs and he pulled into a hallway off the kitchen, hoping the illusion of privacy was enough.

"It feels weird to say all this now." Kristoff said, leaning against the wall and facing her. "Because I know I've had, well, dozens of chances."

Anna raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"And since we're graduating soon and everything, I figured I better say something now."

"Yes?" Anna prodded.

"Anna...you're the most wonderful girl I've ever known." Kristoff kissed her knuckle softly, holding her hand so gingerly, hoping she understood she had the same grip on his heart. "I really, really care about you."

Anna looked at him blankly for a second, then burst out laughing.

"Nevermind." Kristoff said quickly.

She covered her mouth with her hand. "Wait, what's really going on?" she said, turning as he walked away.

Kristoff's entire face was bright red and he felt like he wanted to throw up and die.

"Have Meg bring you home." he said. He knew it was a ten minute walk back to her dorm, but he'd feel better if she wasn't alone. "I have to go."

"What? Kristoff!"

His skin burned with embarrassment, he couldn't bear to hear another word. A thousand words and thoughts ran through his mind but he stuffed them down into the pit of his stomach and put his hands in his pockets, speed-walking back to his apartment. He prayed Olaf would be asleep so he could crawl into bed and just knock out, but no such luck.

"How'd it go!" Olaf asked excitedly, sitting up on the couch and pausing his show.

Kristoff didn't respond, stomping into his room and slamming the door. He popped two sleeping pills, knowing his mind wouldn't slow down otherwise, and fell asleep in fifteen minutes. There were no dreams.

…

Olaf awoke the next morning to the sounds of rummaging, and stepped out into the kitchen to see Kristoff moving around, gathering foodstuffs. A duffel sat on the counter, packed and zipped. It was just past nine am.

"I'm going up to my dad's cabin." Kristoff said the next morning, making some sandwiches and throwing them in a bag.

It was one of the few things Kristoff still had from his parents - cabin was really more of an aspiration than a description. It was plain, in need of fixing, and seldom visited. Once Kristoff got a job and some money he would give it the care it deserved, but he just didn't have the resources right now.

"What?" Olaf asked, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Kristoff, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"That's not true. You had no plans to go to the cabin."

"I do now."

"Kristoff, you're being withholding."

"I hate when you use your psychologist words on me."

"'Withholding' is really plain english, but if you need a victory I'll give you this one." Olaf said, hopping up on the counter. "Now tell me, what's wrong?"

"I made an idiot of myself. What else is new." Kristoff still hadn't looked over at Olaf, acting far more fascinated with the contents of a cooler.

"I doubt it's as bad as you think. Come now, what's wrong." Olaf insisted.

"She laughed."

"What?"

"I told her I loved her and she laughed."

"You said 'I love you', and then she laughed right after?"

"Well, not 'I love you' exactly, but basically and then she laughed and then she felt bad for laughing and I left and just - yeah. It was terrible. I don't have anything else to say about it. I'll be gone for the weekend, maybe the first couple days of the week. I won't get service, but I'll see you soon."

"Are you she was -"

"Yes." Kristoff insisted. "And she's right! It was stupid of me to think she'd even feel that way about me." he exhaled. "I don't want to talk about it. I'm going to load up the car, take Sven on a walk, and then we'll head out. I'll see you in a couple days."

…

Olaf was then very surprised to hear a half-dozen knocks on his door, expecting Kristoff to be nearly gone. And certainly not needing to knock on his own door. But he hopped up and opened it, revealing Anna. Her braids were half-done and there were bags under her eyes. Granted, Olaf mostly saw her dressed up to go out or dressed down to study, but he'd never seen her so disheveled.

"Is Kristoff here?" Anna said.

Olaf didn't think poorly of Anna, but he didn't like that she'd hurt his best friend so badly. "No, he's not."

Anna bit her lip. "He came home, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Okay, good. Do you know when he'll be back?"

"Next week."

"Next week!" Anna exclaimed, crossing her lips. "Oh no, I really have to talk to him."

"Didn't you say enough?" Olaf asked, a little toughly.

"What?"

"Last night."

"That's what I came to talk about!" Anna said. "He was so upset, I don't know what I said!"

"Wait," Olaf realized there'd been confusion. "Come in." he waved her in and Anna sat in a chair, crossing her legs and facing him.

"It's just if I said something wrong I want to know what it is so that I never say it again. I feel _terrible_, Olaf. He looked so hurt and sad and just left the party, I went home right after him and I wanted to come over then but it was late and I didn't know if he wanted to be alone and - "

"Okay, so what do you think happened? Start from the beginning."

"Well we went to the party, but we always goes out to parties. And we're just sitting and hanging out and then he tells me he has to say something and we go find some privacy and then he makes some stupid joke or whatever and I laughed and he got mad!"

"Joke?"

"Well, it was ridiculous!" Anna insisted. "He drags me upstairs and gets all close and serious just to tell me that he's my friend? Come on!" she said, more frustration in her voice than she was aware of.

"Wait, what? No." Olaf said. "Anna, tell me what he said."

"Well, like I said, he brought me upstairs away from the party. I thought he was going to - nevermind. He just said he really cares about me. Like I didn't already know that." she slumped a little against the counter.

"Anna," Olaf said gently. "You've got it all wrong. He was trying to tell you he has feelings for you. Like, that he loves you. Not in the friend way."

"Kristoff...Kristoff _loves_ me?" Anna said, confusion and realization sweeping over her in equal measures. The way he touched her, how she'd feel his gaze on her even when she turned away, how willingly he'd kissed her all those parties she'd thrown herself at him…and had the decency and control to not bring it up the next day.

"Since Freshman year." Olaf promised her.

"Why didn't he say anything?"

"I mean, he's not very smart."

"_**Olaf**_."

"He was probably confused or scared. Didn't want to scare you off." Olaf said, more earnestly. "In fact, he'd probably be pretty mad to know I'm telling you this right now."

"Then why are you?"

"Aw, I love the guy. And I know he'd be remiss to not even try. And if he won't...maybe you will."

Anna stood up. "Where is he?"

"If he hasn't left, then he'd be in the parking lot? He was taking Sven on a walk, then was going to leave."

"I've got to go. Thank you! Pray for me!" Anna took off out the door, down the stairs, and out into the parking lot.

Black Jeep. Black Jeep. Black Jeep. Oh, why couldn't he have gotten a bright yellow car? She scanned until she found it - and a blonde man walking a dog back towards it. She sprinted down the last half-flight of stairs and ran off.

"Kristoff!" she yelled.

He looked the wrong way then turned around, his face scrunching up in confusion and then falling.

"Hey, Anna." he said, opening the door of the car to let Sven hop in.

Anna hesitated for a moment, tension curled up through her body. He loved her? He'd tried to tell her? She bounced for a second then launched herself forward, kissing him as hard as she could. Kissing him for all the times she wished she would have when they were just hanging out, or walking to class. All the times she'd seen how he looked at her, and wondered if she was reading too much into things.

Kristoff kissed her back instantly, threading his hands into her hair and sliding them forward to cup her face. Eventually his desire for answers overwhelmed his desire to keep kissing her, and he broke them apart. Normally, Anna was the one who ended the kiss.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Making up for lost time." she said, throwing her arms back around him.

Kristoff didn't fight her, sitting back into the empty part of the trunk and pulling her on top of him. She climbed up happily, straddling him and running her hands up his shirt. Anna ran her tongue along his lower lip and he opened his mouth to kiss her more deeply, pressed her more closely, prayed he was showing her what he tried to tell her last night.

Eventually, Anna pulled back. Her hair messed, her hands still on his stomach, her heart pounding in her chest and between her thighs. "You love me?" she said.

"Yes." Kristoff said, running a thumb across her cheek. "I told you that."

"No, you said you cared about me."

"Well-"

"Kristoff, I never would've laughed if I knew that's what you were trying to say."

"O-oh." Kristoff shook his head. "Then what did you think was happening?"

"I don't know! I thought maybe it was a joke, because we'd been friends for so long and you'd never made a move move or said anything. I thought it was a bit or a reference I didn't understand!"

"What? No." Kristoff said. "No, I-" he kissed her again. "I love you."

"I was so worried, when you went home like that. And then Olaf said you were leaving and I was worried you'd come back and everything would be different."

Kristoff gave a thin smile. "I was going to try and get over you." He leaned back. "Not that that'd be only a weekend's work, but it'd be a start."

"Don't you dare." Anna said, leaning her forehead against his. "Not when I just learned that you _actually_ have feelings for me."

"Actually? Anna we haven't been apart for nearly four years. We've made out like 50 times."

"We can pump up those numbers." Anna nodded.

"How did you honestly think I didn't care for you?"

"Well I knew you cared for me. But I thought you were just a very, very good friend."

"Then why'd you make out with me?"

"Have you seen you?"

Kristoff laughed. "Not like that, I guess."

"And that's what it was, at first anyway. And then when I started feeling...differently towards you, you would make out with me at parties but you never made a move. When I spent that weekend watching Star Wars movies with you - any other guy would've tried to feel me up, or more. I remember, at one point I fell asleep, and you picked me up and carried me to your bed and slept on the couch. What the fuck. What the fuck."

"I didn't want to take advantage of you." Kristoff said.

"It wouldn't have been taking advantage of me if I wanted you to climb in with me."

"Yeah, well, you could've mentioned that!"

"Fine. Share a bed with me, come home with me next time, kiss me, date me, love me." she said, kissing him again.

Kristoff kissed her back, pulling back gently to kiss her cheek, her nose, her forehead. She gave a tiny, contented sigh, closing her eyes.

"Come with?" Kristoff asked, still holding her tightly.

"What?"

"I'm going up to my dad's cabin." he said. "You don't have class on Monday anyway. Come up and stay with me."

Anna smiled and nodded. "Sure Sven won't mind not being able to ride shotgun?"

Kristoff laughed. "He'll deal. C'mon, we'll pick up some stuff for you real quick from your dorm and go on up."

"Okay!" Anna nodded. "I'm gonna catch an angelfish!"

"Those are only in saltwater." Kristoff said, turning the key in the ignition. "If you'd paid any attention in biology, you'd know that."

Anna laughed. "I spent _way_ too much of that class focused on you to possibly care about any fish"


End file.
